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Kingdom of Vietnam
The Kingdom of Vietnam or simply Vietnam is a constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. There are 61 provinces across eight administrative regions. Consisting of provinces in the South and North Central Coast regions along so-called 'spine of Vietnam', the Central Highlands region; the Southeast region, which includes the capital city of Saigon (which is a special administrative zone), and the Mekong River Delta region in the southern half, and the Northwest, Northwest, and the Red River Delta in the northern half. Situated on the southeastern coast of Asia, Vietnam is bordered immediately to the north by the People's Republic of China, to the northwest by the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos), and by the Kingdom of Cambodia to the southwest. The Kingdom of Thailand is across the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest and the Republic of the Philippines (The Philippines) to the east. Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia are across the South China Sea to the southeast. The capital and largest city is Saigon. As a member of SEATO since 1957 and a member of the UN since 1960, Vietnam has played an important advisory role in Western affairs throughout Southeast Asia. The Kingdom of Vietnam has been ruled by King Nicholas since 2018 after the abdication of his father Peter after 36 years due to health problems. Etymology Vietnam was unified and renamed 'Vietnam' officially after, Nguyen Phuc An, the originator of the first Nguyen dynasty became Emperor Gia Long in 1802. Immediately after the Vietnamese Civil War ended in a Royalist victory, the country was declared the 'provisional State of Vietnam' for a day before peace talks began. In official/international and otherwise legally-binding documents, Vietnam is referred to as the 'Kingdom of Vietnam'. Census/demographics Vietnam covers 331,212 km2 (127,881 sq mi) of land, with a population of 95,545,962 (as of a 2018 census estimate) giving the country a population density of 288.47/per km2. Most of the ethnic people living in Vietnam are Kinh (Viet) around 85.7 per cent, and 14.3% is a mix of 53 recognised minorities. The average age is 33.5 years. The average retirement age is 67.5 years. Crime particularly, homicides is low averaging 1.11% (1,100/per 100,000 people) of crimes committed nationwide. Gun-related crimes are rare as the Kingdom has strict gun control laws as of 1983. The leading cause of death in Vietnam is lung cancer. As of 2015, all citizens of Vietnam have access to quality state-funded healthcare. Infant mortality rates are 1.6 in 1,000 births. The national literacy rate is 99 per cent. Brief history Vietnam has been under dynastic (family) rule since the Ngo dynasty was established in 939. When the French colonised the region in 1858 as a protectorate for the Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina regions of the country, along with Laos and Cambodia as Indochina the emperor was relegated to a nominal advisory role to the Governor-General of Indochina. After World War II, fearing a civil uprising in Asia after the War, France broke up Indochina, granting Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia independence. Vietnam was granted independence in 1947. As the Vietnamese celebrate their independence for the first time in almost a century, Nationalist forces under the control of anti-royalist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh emboldened by aid from communist powers China and the Soviet Union, invaded the south-central town of Quang Tri in Nov 1949, starting the Vietnamese Civil War. Vietnamese Civil War (1949-55) Main article: Vietnamese Civil War The emperor at the time, Bao Dai, pushed back the Nationalist forces out of Quang Tri in Jan 1950, establishing the borderline between the pro-West, royalist South and the communist, nationalist North. The western powers commended Bao Dai for pushing back the Nationalist forces and in return sent supplies and monetary aid to the South Vietnamese starting in 1951. This allowed the Royalist forces to overrun the Nationalists into retreating out of the High Central region by Christmas 1952. However, communist reinforcements helped the Nationalists in reestablishing control from 1953-54. On Valentine's Day 1955, under the direction of General Nguyen Huu Khang, the Vietnamese Royalists along with French and U.S. aerial support, strategically bombed the Nationalist capital of Hanoi non-stop for two weeks, while sending in 20,000 ground troops to blockade Ho Chi Minh's escape from his residence. The operation, Operation Downfall, as called by the Americans resulted in 16,000 direct civilian deaths and Hanoi bombed into submission. On 3 May 1955, Ho Chi Minh surrendered and on 5 May, he and Emperor Bao Dai signed the Quang Tri Peace Accords, ending the war, with a Royalist victory. Bao Dai solution While Bao Dai won the war, he was unpopular and largely blamed for the deaths of thousands of Vietnamese. In 1957, a Vietnamese war tribunal stripped Bao Dai of his imperial title and powers in a war crimes tribunal, in essence forcing him to abdicate. With Vietnam without a monarch, the Imperial Council looked for a suitable replacement and found one in General Khang. As the war hero that saved the nation, General Khang was also a distant relative of Bao Dai, thus allowing the Nguyen dynasty to continue. Not wanting to be reminded of the colonial era, the Imperial Council declared the provisional State of Vietnam as the Kingdom of Vietnam with the King of Vietnam as head of state following the signing of the peace accords, fashioned mostly after the British monarchy. The position of Prime Minister of Vietnam was established as the head of government. Government/Politics Main article: Government of Vietnam; Main article: Politics of Vietnam Monarchy Main article: Monarchy of Vietnam; Main article: King Nicholas of Vietnam; Also see: Reign of King Nicholas The monarchy of Vietnam is the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Vietnam. The current monarch and head of state is King Nicholas, the youngest monarch in 21st century Nguyen dynasty history and currently the youngest head of state as of 2019. The official residence and workplace of the King and is the Royal Palace of Saigon. Second Nguyen dynasty (1957-present) The Nguyen dynasty has ruled Vietnam since 1802, and nominally from 1858 to 1947, under the protectorate status of France. The current Nguyen dynasty line is not the same as the Nguyen dynasty originating from Gia Long, but a satellite branch of the original as King Thomas (General Khang) was a distant cousin of Bao Dai. The Second Nguyen dynasty is vastly different from the first, first and foremost being kings, not emperors. Second, have been Catholic since 1954 and have often taken the Catholic saint's name they were baptised as the regnal name instead of the traditional Confucian name bestowed to emperors pre-1957. Formal Nguyen-Bourbon alliance In 1962, then Crown Prince (Hoàng thái tử) Nguyen Huu Hai married a French-Vietnamese woman, Lady Julienne, with direct familial ties to the French House of Bourbon, however, the marriage was annulled by the Pope in 1967 before the crown prince became king. It was not consummated therefore an annulment was granted. In the annulment, Julienne would no longer be a member of the royal family, instead was made Duchess (Nữ công tước) Julienne of Hue, a non-royal title of nobility. However, in 1980, Prince Nguyen Huu Hanh married Julienne's youngest sister, Lady Thu, who was born in Vietnam further cementing the connection between the House of Nguyen and the House of Bourbon. Crown Prince Nguyen Huu Kiet (later King Nicholas), Princess (Công chúa) Nguyen Thuy Linh, and Prince (Hoàng tử) Nguyen Huu Minh resulted in the marriage. Royal family media coverage The royal family's public relations are handled by the Royal Press Office. The Royal Speaker is the king's mouthpiece in Parliament. The royal family has been Catholic since 1954 when Thomas converted in a baptismal ceremony at Dalat Cathedral. Since then, Dalat Cathedral has been the main place of worship for the royal family. Because of the numerous media coverage of royal events at Dalat Cathedral, it has been dubbed "the Westminister Abbey of Vietnam". The royal family is very popular and admired by the people, it is considered an honour to be invited by the King to the Royal Palace during the first three days of Tết. Then Crown Prince Nguyen Huu Kiet's royal wedding to Lady Tran Thi Quynh in 2016 drew 200,000 well-wishers outside Dalat Cathedral. Style of the King Because the Nguyen dynasty never formally ceded imperial rule to another family but was simply changed by the Imperial Council upon selection of General Khang (who took the name 'Thomas' as his regnal name) from Emperor to King (Imperial to Royal), the King is granted the style of "His Majesty" (Hoàng đế). Spoken style, "Your Majesty" or "Sire" (Bệ hạ) are acceptable forms of address. In common reference, "The King" (Hoàng thượng) is always used, it is considered rude to refer to the King by anything other than the King when not in his presence. All Second Nguyen dynasty kings since Thomas have used their baptismal name as a regnal name. It is a coincidence that the Catholic kings of Vietnam took names from some of the Vietnamese Martyrs, however, the tradition has helped to increase Catholic Church membership in Vietnam by 48 per cent. King's Parliamentary Powers The King of Vietnam has three important roles in government. In this way, the King plays a role in day-to-day governing as the Prime Minister must inform the King, of Parliament's actions when called upon. First, the king may dissolve Parliament (the lower house) and/or dismiss the Prime Minister in between election years if the actions of the Prime Minister ("The Government") are "deemed overtly detrimental" to the well-being of the citizens. Second, the king may through the House of Lords, and the Royal Speaker add amendments to existing bills but not propose new bills. The king also must give Royal Assent (sign bills into law) unless the Prime Minister asks for a Royal Notary. Third, the king in times of war and peace is the commander-in-chief of the Royal Vietnamese Military and must notify Parliament if he intends to use military force greater than 10 per cent of the number of active soldiers or if a conflict lasts more than 15 days. Succession Succession laws are written into the 1960 constitution. Prime Minister Main article: Prime Minister of Vietnam The Prime Minister of Vietnam is the head of the government of Vietnam, first established in 1957. Serving "at the pleasure of the King" the Prime Minister is in charge of the executive and legislative functions in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and the government's duties are executed by the Cabinet Ministry. The Prime Minister resides at 12 Parliament Square, while Cabinet Ministers oversee their departments from their various offices, collectively known as the Cabinet Complex in Saigon. The Prime Minister and other Members of Parliament (MPs) of the House of Commons are elected by direct popular vote every five years unless the King or Parliament, itself, dissolves early. The current Prime Minister is Le Xuan Tuyen, MP from Nha Trang elected in the 2015 regular Parliamentary elections. Term limits The Constitution states the Prime Minister shall serve "at the pleasure of the King" effectively eliminating term limits however it also states the PM, is "at the will of the people" allowing elections and party politics dictate tenure. Historically, PMs have averaged a tenure of 4.1 years, with the longest, serving 12 years, and the shortest-serving, 10 months. Of the 21 Prime Ministers to have held office, 14 have been men; seven have been women. Parliament Main article: Parliament of Vietnam The Parliament of Vietnam consists of two Houses, the Vietnamese House of Commons (the lower and more powerful house) and the Vietnamese House of Lords (a largely advisory body to the government and the king) but it is also able to introduce bills, except budgetary into the Commons. The House of Commons consists of 435 seats while the House of Lords consists of 65 seats made up of the Vietnamese nobility. A yearly Parliament session runs from 5 May to Lunar New Year's Eve (around late-January, early-February). Both Houses meet in the Palace of Parliament in Saigon. Elections In Vietnam, Regular Parliament elections occur every five years with all 435 seats up for election. A snap election occurs when the King or Parliament itself votes to dissolve before the next Regular year with all 435 seats available. Vietnam uses a first-past-the-post voting system with automatic recounts triggered if the margin of victory is 0.5 or less. A party must control a majority of seats to "assemble Parliament" if no majority is reached, parties have 60 days to form a coalition majority and "assemble Parliament". If after 60 days, no majority is found, the King convenes a Royal Lords Administration to handle Parliament business for 30 days while the Royal Speaker addresses a hung Parliament to reach a compromise less risk "contempt of the King" punishable by a ƒ750,000 fine and 6-12 years in prison for "obstruction of the justice, will, and faith of the King and Vietnamese people". To date, there have been three hung Parliaments (1973, 1977, 1980), all three assembled within 14 days. Law and Order Constitution, Rights of the People, and Rights of the King Main article: Constitution of Vietnam '' The Constitution of Vietnam was formally ratified by Parliament on 12 December 1960 and is modelled after the Constitution of the United States. The 1960 Constitution contains two distinct documents: the Rights of the People, which are guaranteed rights in which the King cannot infringe upon and the Rights of the King which are reserved rights and powers establishing the legitimacy of the monarchy and current monarch. Acts of the Parliament of Vietnam ''Main article: Laws of Vietnam Supreme Court of Vietnam Main article: Laws of Vietnam The Supreme Court of Vietnam is the nation's highest and last court of appeals. Decisions made by the constitutionally-prescribed 11 justices are final. It also has the power of judicial review which may examine the constitutionality of Acts of Parliament. The only thing that may overrule a Supreme Court decision (although rarely executed) is the King's Prerogative of Mercy. The Supreme Court meets in the Palace of Justice in Saigon. Economy Main article: Economy of Vietnam Vietnam's economy is open-market, capitalist, and pro-Western business with state-owned businesses also commonplace. The main financial hubs of the country are Saigon and Nha Trang, with the latter also being a major supply port. Port cities are important to the continuing growth of Vietnam. The aforementioned city of Nha Trang along with Da Nang and Bac Lieu take in two-thirds of the country's shipping and distribution traffic. Northern port cities have become de facto domestic trade and shipping/distribution centers. Vietnam's leading industries are finance, tourism, agricultural food production, information technology, shipping and distribution, and light and heavy manufacturing. Vietnam's growing auto industry is dominated by two privately-owned brands, ND Motors Ltd. and Xuan Auto Corporation, LLC. ND Motors produces light and heavy trucks mostly for industry and military use, however, in 2018 they introduced the ND Lion, a consumer-level truck to compete with Toyota's Tacoma model. Xuan Auto is Vietnam's primary consumer manufacturer. Its line up consisting of sedans, trucks, people carriers (vans), and sports cars. Xuan aims to enter the US market in 2025, it has already begun exporting models to Japan and South Korea. It is also targetting the royal motorcade contract by introducing a luxury subbrand in 2021. The current motorcade contract the royal family has with BMW is set to expire in 2028. The World Monetary Fund ranks Vietnam as the fourth largest in Asia behind China, Japan, and India as of 2015, overtaking South Korea. With a projected 9% GDP growth in the next decade. Vietnam has operated with a balanced and fully-funded budget since 1994. And as of 2019, is debt-free. The country currently holds a AAA credit rating from S&P. International Trade Internationally, Vietnam is part of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region cooperative block as a founding member, and the Asian Econ Group, a multilateral trading group that consists of China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Vietnam as a key member. Often acting as a moderator between China and India. And the Euro-Southeast Asia Trade Pact since 1999 following France's adoption of the euro, specific cooperative between the EU member states particularly France, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein and Vietnam. In international business, China, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea are collectively called the 'Four Heavenly Economies' in reference to the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhist tradition due to their influence in Asian and international trade, size, and production. Central Bank The Royal Bank of Vietnam (RBV) is Vietnam's central bank. Despite the name, the monarchy does not have control of the bank, the royal family's finances are handled through the Royal Treasury Office. The RBV is in charge of the country's monetary assets (issuing, printing, and collecting currency), is responsible for lending to Vietnamese banks, setting interest rates, setting banking and lending regulations and investigating low levels of bank fraud through the Royal Bank of Vietnam Fraud Department (capital cases are handed over to the Ministry of Justice). In 2018, the RBV stopped producing 1 franc coins in favour of rounding up or down to the nearest 5 franc coin. Vietnamese franc The 'Vietnamese franc' is denoted by the ƒ symbol and is traded as VNF. The Vietnamese franc is currently valued at 0.95 VNF to 1.00 USD (US Dollar). Vietnamese franc is also legal tender in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The VNF comes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500. New polymer francs with King Nicholas’s likeness have started circulating as of February 2019, old “paper” bills featuring the old kings are still proper legal tender until exchanged at a bank, Vietnamese are encouraged to swap bills as soon as possible before mandatory exchange begins in May 2020. All banknotes feature the current king on the obverse and different monuments on the reverse. Taxation Vietnamese citizens pay a flat tax of 35.38% on all personal income up to ƒ50,000 and gradual addition of 2 per cent/per addition ƒ50,000. Corporations are taxed a 23% revenue tax/per ƒ100,000, and an additional 15% flat tax per property value evaluation. A so-called 'big business leaders tax', taxes large corporate leaders a graduating scale of 0.5 up to 3% in salary but allows a 37% charitable allowance. There is a limited estate tax in Vietnam of 10% per every 100,000 to a cap of ƒ600,000. Education Education in Vietnam is compulsory until age 17, the legal age of maturity. From ages, 4-17 students are required to attend a public, private or royal charter school. The exception to the rule is for royal children, who until age 11 may be homeschooled by private tutors and/or other members of the royal family on the education of state affairs. Vietnam was an early pilot country for Switzerland's International Baccalaureate (IB) program in 1986 through the IB Asia Pacific (IBAP). The education initiative would be a key bargaining chip for Vietnam in 1999 in international banking. The IB program was offered at all Vietnamese public schools in 1994. The IB program is offered alongside Vietnam's nationwide New Education policy, that updates ~20 years. There are 75 public elementary, middle, and high schools in Vietnam, 35 per cent of children attend private school. There are five public national universities and three main military academies. All students upon matriculation must pass the Vietnam Proficiency Exam (VPE) for a diploma and/or college admission. A specialised senior exam that is taken by students in their final year of high school comparable to the British A-Levels system. Infrastructure In May 2019, the Royal Speaker introduced the King's 49 City Plan to the House of Lords, an infrastructure plan dedicated to the King's ideal city plan and also the King's ambitious economic plan to bring all Vietnamese into the middle and upper-middle class by 2050. Energy Vietnam's power supply is a combination of nuclear and wind and has been since the opening of the An Loc Nuclear Power Plant in 1984 and the Pleiku Nuclear Power Plant in 1996, and Quang Ngai and Can Tho Nuclear Power Stations in 2007 and 2016, respectively. More power plants and stations are being built as nationwide energy usage increased 65 per cent, beyond the 50 per cent threshold current units can provide. The Dak Nuclear Power Plants in Dak To and Dak Song, respectively are expected to come online by September 2019. The Director of Energy within the Interior Ministry is responsible for training, management, and safety inspections. Current energy regulations require all nuclear power plants and stations to undergo mandatory three-year inspections and are required to safely dispose of all nuclear waste. Vietnam also has sprawling wind turbine farms in the Central Highlands, these turbines help to power essential operators in case of national emergency, to power and distribute power to remote regions, and serve as a reserve. Roughly six per cent of the power generated by nuclear power plants is redirected to continually power the turbines to allow for constant 2:1 produce/use wind power ratio. Road and Rail The Vietnamese Interstate Road System is a collaborative infrastructure project between the Government and private industry spearheaded by King Philip in 1976. It allowed for Vietnamese goods and later citizens to travel between the two halves of the country. Vietnam's public rail service is overseen by the Royal Rail Authority. the Royal Rail Authority operates the Royal Rail System which oversees 34,268 km of total rail. Under the Royal Rail System are three main lines: Saigon Rail and Metro (SRM), the Dalat Central Rail (DCR), and the Royal Coastal Railway (RCR). The SRM includes the Saigon Metro and permanent rail system that services the inner third of the country, the Dalat Central Rail services the central highlands and connects to the permanent rail system of the SRM. The Royal Coastal Railway services the coastal region and is equipped with permanent rail and Shinkansen bullet train service running from Bac Lieu to Hanoi with connections in Nha Trang, Hue, and Thanh Hoa. Air Saigon's Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport are Vietnam's largest main commercial airports. Altogether 76 million travellers per year go through either commercial points of entry. There are plans to expand both if traffic reaches 100 million. There are also 10 regional airports in service throughout Vietnam, with three more under construction. Air Vietnam is Vietnam's national state-owned carrier. Its hub is Tan Son Nhat International Airport and flies to 49 countries including daily one-stop service from Saigon to Paris, London, Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Sydney, and Auckland and non-stop service from Saigon to Tokyo, Kyoto, Beijing, Shanghai, Hanoi, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Bangkok, and New Delhi. Consistently ranked among the top airlines in terms of service, value, and professionalism, Air Vietnam is in direct but friendly competition with Singapore Airlines as the preeminent Asian airline. Air Vietnam pilots receive the same rigorous flight training as RVAF pilots. It is nicknamed 'Dragon Air' due to its distinct dragon livery. Waterways Vietnam has ferry service in all major coastal port cities and commercial shipping along the Mekong and Red River Deltas. Media Internet There is no restriction on internet access or digital censorship in Vietnam, King Peter declared in a royal decree that Vietnam is for net neutrality and that the nation's internet infrastructure must improve to a nationwide average of 1 Gbps by 2030. Currently, about 97% of Vietnam has access to at least 10 Mbps speed internet, speeds up to and exceeding 200 Mbps is common in large cities and towns. In terms of use, Vietnam ranks behind South Korea in terms of users per capita. Television State-run TV media is provided by Vietnam Broadcasting (VBS) and KingTV. VBS is a for-profit state channel that includes 24h news service, Vietnam News Service (VNS), as well as VBS-produced movies and television shows. KingTV is Vietnam's royal and government broadcasting channel. It broadcasts the King's June Speech, a yearly address to the nation made from the Royal Palace of Saigon. It also broadcasts sessions of Parliament and other government and royal functions, as deemed appropriate. Radio Vietnam has two state-run radio stations part of the Vietnam Communication Group, a semi-privately-owned radio broadcasting company that altogether operates eight channels throughout the country. The largest state-run channel is KVNL or Radio Saigon, as well as KRYL or Radio Royals. VietMedia, a private media company operates 12 channels throughout Vietnam. Newspaper By law, under the Rights of the People, a free and independent print press is guaranteed. Currently, there are 20 newspapers in circulation, most publish twice weekly or weekly due to a circulation of fewer than 15,000 readers and tend to niche subjects, however, the mainstream papers (500,000+); Gia Định Bao, Công Dân, and Trung Tam publish daily and during breaking news cycles, twice daily. Gia Định Bao and Trung Tam are Vietnam's oldest newspapers still in publication. Gia Định Bao began in 1869 in Saigon before moving to Dalat in 1901. Trung Tam began publishing in 1902 in Saigon. Công Dân was established in 1959 in Hoi An, the first of the Vietnamese free press corps. Military Main article: Royal Vietnamese Military '' The Royal Vietnamese Military is the Kingdom's defence force consisting of four branches. The '''Royal Vietnamese Army', Royal Vietnamese Navy, Royal Vietnamese Air Force, and Royal Vietnamese Marine Corps. Vietnam spends 1.6% of the national GDP on defence. It has a combined strength of 917,000 enlisted. Minimum two-year conscription is required for all able-bodied males from the age of 17-26. Conscripts may delay active service for 4-7 years with an education deferment. The Royal Generals of the Armed Forces, a select group that includes the King as Commander-in-Chief and all branch commanding officers and advisors is the Vietnamese equivalent of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. They create, maintain, and execute offensive and counter-military action, as necessary. The current chairman of the Royal Generals of the Armed Forces is Admiral Nguyen Tri Binh (Royal Vietnamese Navy). The Royal Vietnamese Military is mostly involved in regional peacekeeping and as a deterrent against North Korean nuclear aggression. While the Royal Vietnamese Military is nuclear-powered it is not nuclear-armed, but still, nuclear-capable per the 1976 Asia Denuclearisation Pact, signed by the Vietnamese government and all Western-allied nations in Asia. Royal Vietnamese Military officials and the Defence Ministry are headquartered in the Royal Defence Building in Ben Thanh, Saigon. Armament Vietnam's military arsenal includes Vietnamese-developed Biện minh (Justification) and Tài chính (Finality) ICBM missiles and Thương biển (Sea Lance) SLBM missiles. Under the 1976 Asia Denuclearisation Pact all missiles in Vietnam are conventional weapons, however, Justification and Finality'' missiles can be nuclear-ready within 12 hours. When nuclear-enriched, missiles designations include an ‘N’ designation. Sea Lance missiles can be nuclear-ready within eight hours. In 1985, the Vietnamese military restarted its missile defence program developing the ''Cao điểm (Peak) missiles in 1999 and the Thung lũng (Valley) missiles in 2014. Peak and Valley missiles can be made nuclear-ready in three hours. In 2003, the Defence Ministry and the Vietnamese Defence Aeronautics Corporation signed a 20-year deal to develop and build a fleet of unmanned drone aircraft, capable of launching air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles and bombs. As of 2018, the VDAC has developed two fully-functional drone vehicles, the VAX-10 Eagle and the DDR-8 Sparrow. Both are operated by the 35th Air Force division of the Royal Air Force. The total number built and operational is classified. Royal Intelligence Service The Royal Intelligence Service (The CQ), is the foreign intelligence service of the government of Vietnam, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence in support of Vietnam's national security and counsels the Royal Vietnamese Military and the King as deemed necessary. It is headquartered in the Royal Intelligence Building in Ben Thanh, Saigon. Culture Sport The Culture Ministry is in charge of sports regulation and recommendations for physical and mental health. Mental health was added by AP-0600 in 2017. The Culture Ministry regulates professional football in Vietnam through the Kingdom of Vietnam Football Association, it regulates Taekwondo as a WTF member, through the Kingdom of Vietnam Taekwondo Association. Vietnam is exploring a Formula One race contract, there is talk of hosting a 3-race street race in Nha Trang, with a similar layout to Monaco or Vietnam may build a multi-use track on a 40,000 square metre site in Bac Lieu to also attract MotoGP and other motorsports. Vietnam has done well in international competition, winning the AFC Asian Cup three times, advancing to the FIFA World Cup semi-final twice and the World Cup final once in 1990, ultimately losing to West Germany 1-0. At the Summer Olympics, Vietnam has earned 283 medals, 102 of them gold. Vietnam has never competed in the Winter Olympics. 2032 Summer Olympics bid Vietnam is currently exploring a bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics, which if successful would be the fourth in Asia since the Tokyo 2020 Games. King Nicholas appointed AFC Asian Cup-winning Vietnamese footballer Nguyen The Anh as the Saigon 2032 chairman. Football Football is the most-watched and played sport in Vietnam. Football in Vietnam is organised by the Kingdom of Vietnam Football Association. The Vietnamese Premier League is the highest level of professional club football in Vietnam, consisting of 10 teams. The Vietnamese Premier League champion receives the King's Cup, presented by the King. Vietnam's men's national football team has made the FIFA World Cup semi-final twice and the finals once in 1990 and have qualified for the tournament every time since 1978. Vietnam's women's national football team has made the Women's FIFA World Cup semi-final twice and finals once, and have qualified for the tournament every time since 1991. The men's team is currently ranked 38th while the women's team are 15th. International matches are played at Gia Long National Stadium, referred to by supporters as the ‘Imperial Palace’. Fashion The áo dài (long dress) is Vietnam's traditional dress. Suitable for men and women. It is common to see áo dài worn by women in Parliament and at other public engagements. Much of Vietnam's fashion industry is influenced directly by Paris and Milan. It is common to see a more western-style dress in cities, port cities, and central highland towns and the more traditional Áo bà ba, in and along the Mekong Delta and the rural plains. Holidays The following are national holidays in Vietnam. Because some of Vietnam's national holidays do not have set dates, a holiday calendar is published by the Culture Ministry on New Year's Eve (31 December) which is also the start of the upcoming fiscal year. * New Year's Day (1 January) * Tết (Only the first three days; date is dependent on the Lunar calendar) * Election Day (First Saturday in March) * Easter Sunday * May Day (5 May; commemorates the end of the Vietnamese Civil War) * Mother's Day (21 May) * Armed Services Day (28 May) * Independence Day (7 June; commemorates France granting Vietnam sovereignty in 1947) * Father's Day (21 June) * Children's Day (21 July) * Labour Day (1 September) * Thanksgiving (21 October) * King's Birthday (varies; currently 20 October) * Royal Bank Holiday (30 November) * Christmas (24-25 December)